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Sameer Verma became only the second Indian ever to reach the final of the Badminton Asia Youth under-19 championships, defeating Liu Kai of China at the UP Badminton Academy hall in Lucknow on Friday. However, compatriot PV Sindhu fell in the semis, to Sun Yu, also of China.

Sameer’s entry into the final gives him the opportunity to become only the second Indian to win the title — earlier known as the Junior ABC (Asian Badminton Confederation) after Gautam Thakkar in 1976. Sameer will take on Malaysian second seed Zulfikli Zulfadli in the title round.

Sameer’s run was astounding, as he beat an Indonesian and two Chinese on his way to the final. Even coach Gopichand was impressed. “Before the tournament started, I thought he could reach the quarterfinals,” he told DNA. “But the way he has been playing, I believed he had a chance today. He’s been beating some good players, not just Chinese, but also Indonesians and Malaysians.”

The first game was a close affair, and both players remained apace until Sameer annexed the last two points. The second too was close, but after 13-all, Liu Kai suddenly ran away with five straight points.

The loss of the second game made absolutely no impression on Verma, for he shot off to a 13-2 and 15-9 lead before wrapping up the match.

“He’s able to keep the shuttle low, and he’s got a lot of variations on his grip,” said Gopi. “He’s a little similar to his brother (Sourabh).”

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IMHO, Sameer Verma will be a good bet for the future for India's Badminton.
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The 17-year-old deserved the loud round of applause

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Sameer Verma stunned Kai Liu of China in three games to reach the boys' singles final of the Asia youth under-19 badminton championships at the U.P. Badminton Academy courts, Gomti Nagar, here on Friday.

Verma, the first ever Indian to achieve such a feat, got past the Chinese 21-19, 15-21, 21-9 ......

It was Verma, a trainee at the P. Gopi Chand academy in Hyderabad, who stole limelight with the depth of his game.

He played his crafty game to bridge a four-point deficit (13-17) and collected three more to narrowly seal the first game in his favour.

A desperate Liu relied on his power and fired umpteen smashes to draw parity by taking the second game. Verma came up with a classy performance to outplay his opponent in the decider.

The 17-year-old deserved the loud round of applause for his overall understanding of the situation and gamesmanship. Knowing well that Liu was running out of stamina, Verma made him run around the court in the course of some spectacular rallies by mixing his high lifts and soft touches nicely.

The Chinese had several chances at recovering . However, he finally had to bow to the level-headed Indian amid loud cheers.

“It is the biggest achievement of my (short) career so far. I dedicate this victory to my parents and coach Gopi Chand,” said Verma, who had experienced a third-round exit in the same event last year.

The Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) boy, however, admitted that for one moment during the match the fear of defeat had disturbed him.

The current India junior number one, Sameer kept the shuttle close to the nets

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LUCKNOW: Top Indian junior shuttler Sameer Verma put up a spirited performance before going down to higher-seeded Malaysian opponent in straight games in the boys' singles final of the Asia Youth under-19 badminton championships on Saturday (09-July-2011).

Unseeded Sameer lost 15-21, 17-21 to second seed Zulkiffli Zulfadli in 37 minutes at the Uttar Pradesh Badminton Academy courts.

Sameer, who won the boys' singles U-19 title at the All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament at Haridwar in February, made his opponent work hard for every point but in the end, his efforts did not give him the desired result.

The current India junior number one, Sameer kept the shuttle close to the nets but his rival won on the account of better smash winners.

In a match that tested the nerves of both the players, Zulfadli hit 11 smash winners as compared to Sameer's two.

In the first game, Sameer and Zulfadli were tied at 15-15 after which the Malaysian registered six straight points to win the game 21-15.

In the second game of the match, Sameer showed enough glimpses of his brilliance as he locked himself in a tight battle with Zulfadli.

However, the Malaysian was not ready to take it lying down and he surged ahead when the score was tied 17-17 and thereafter didn't give the Indian any more chance to recover.

There must be more than one net against Sameer

Originally Posted by Loh

Yes, there must be more than one net against Sameer! the invisible one to help ZZ beat him!

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Sameer told TOI on Sunday "I was nervous in the final. Nobody expected me to reach that far so it put extra pressure on me. I could have beaten him but his net play was quite good. Despite trying hard, I failed to counter his dribbles at the net."

"When I realized he is unbeatable at the net, I tried to play to my strength which is involving the opponent in the rallies. I won most of the points when I involved him in the rallies. He then adopted time-wasting strategy after the end of each rally which broke my rhythm." reasoned Sameer.

NAGPUR: If elder brother makes waves at the senior level, can younger one be far behind?

Until last week, the world only knew about Sourabh Verma but a spectacular performance by younger brother Sameer in the Asian Youth Badminton Championship in Lucknow has brought the MP shuttler into fame.

Seventeen-year-old Sameer not only helped India reach semifinals in the team championship but he also stormed into the singles final in the individual event. The icing on the cake would have been the title but he failed to clear the last hurdle and went down fighting against Malaysia's Zulkiffli Zulfadli 15-21, 17-21.

The unseeded Sameer's giant-killing run, wherein he knocked out several top-ranked seeded players, was stopped by second seed Malaysian on Saturday at the BBD UP Badminton Academy.

"I was nervous in the final. Nobody expected me to reach that far so it put extra pressure on me. I could have beaten him but his net play was quite good. Despite trying hard, I failed to counter his dribbles at the net," Sameer told TOI on Sunday.

The No.1 junior player in India, however, was not happy with the time-wasting strategy of his opponent in the final. "When I realized he is unbeatable at the net, I tried to play to my strength which is involving the opponent in the rallies. I won most of the points when I involved him in the rallies. He then adopted time-wasting strategy after the end of each rally which broke my rhythm," reasoned Sameer.

Despite the defeat, Sameer, who won eight matches and lost only one in Lucknow, is thrilled. He was unbeaten in the team championship where he won three matches to help India reach last four. The team management opted to play Pratul Joshi instead of Sameer in the semifinals against China. The move backfired as India lost 0-3.

Sameer, who joined Hyderabad-based Pullela Gopichand Academy just 14 months ago, now targets World Junior Championship scheduled to be held in Chinese Taipei and Youth Commonwealth Games. "I am in good form and hoping to do well in future junior international tournaments including World Championship. I still have one more year in U-19 category and want to make the most of this period," said Sameer, who credits his success to his parents and coach Gopichand.

Elder brother Sourabh, who stunned the badminton circuit by jumping from 243 to 123 in world rankings in just four months thanks to sensational performance in the India Open and Thailand Open this year, was also delighted with Sameer's performance.

"Obviously, I am very happy with his show. After every match, I used to speak to him and tell him that take proper rest before the next game. In international matches, recovery is very important as it helps you to give 100% on the court," said Sourabh, who is two years older than Sameer.

Both Sourabh and Sameer belongs to Dhar, 60-km from Indore (MP). Before shifting their base to Hyderabad, both used to train at the SAI Badminton Centre at Dhar.
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